Central London Golf Centre

On Saturday I played a round of golf at the Central London Golf Centre. The allure of this place is that it is the nearest golf course to me in South London. They also have a driving range, but I didn’t use this. Parking is available and there were quite a few spaces empty on the weekend I went. Nearest train station is Earlsfield, about 15-20 minutes walk away. Booking is required for weekends, but tee time was fairly flexible. We arrived late but still started when ready. It cost £20 for 9 holes and club hire (cheaper on weekdays) – very reasonable. The hired clubs were only a random half-set, but between the two of us we had everything except a 3 wood, so we shared. If you need to hire and can’t share clubs with your group, then check what you are given carefully.

It is a par 31, 9-hole course totalling 2,332 yards. Much of the detail I saw online spoke of an 18-hole course, but this involves playing each hole twice. There are four par 4’s and the rest are par 3. It is a very straight course, the flag is clearly visible from the tee on all holes. Only on the 9th is there any impediment to a straight driver – a small lake. The holes are fairly tightly packed and we often encountered players on other holes playing across ours (and did the same a few times ourselves). It is a friendly course, good for beginners or a quick no stress round. If I lived nearer I’d definitely consider a membership, but my friend pointed out that it might get a little boring after regular play.

One caveat though, the food at the clubhouse is awful. Walk into Earlsfield if you want something to eat.